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Opinion Contributor

Some candidates slip but don't fall

Reagan’s example suggests some mistakes are more fatal than others, the author says. |
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• Don’t Know Much About History? We Grade on a Curve

By contrast, simple errors of fact or misstatements don’t seem to matter as much. Maybe because, by every survey, Americans as a people are woefully ignorant of history. While Bachmann’s misstatements are grist for the late-night comics and political adversaries, they fall into what we political experts call “brain farts.” The same is true of Vice President Joe Biden’s remarkable excursion into history. “When the stock market crashed,” Biden noted, “Franklin D. Roosevelt got on the television and didn’t just talk about the, you know, the princes of greed. He said, ‘Look, here’s what happened.’”

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Well, no. Roosevelt didn’t become president until 3½ years later, and no, there wasn’t any TV in 1929. The slip — more like a pratfall — reinforced the image of Biden as the flannel-mouthed, loose-talking “Saturday Night Live” character. But — like Bachmann’s historical detours — there was nothing cruel or mean-spirited there.

Moreover, in a media environment where every single move, utterance and facial expression is likely to be captured on a cellphone or BlackBerry or wristwatch, voters may be reflecting the view of an apocryphal butcher who watched a customer pick up a chicken and probe, push and sniff every inch of the bird.

“Lady,” the butcher said. “Could you pass such a test?”

Jeff Greenfield has worked as a political analyst at CBS, ABC and CNN. His new book is “Then Everything Changed: Stunning Alternate Histories of American Politics: JFK, RFK, Carter, Ford, Reagan.” Greenfield worked in Robert F. Kennedy’s Senate office and was a speechwriter for him during his presidential campaign. Follow him on Twitter @greenfield64.

Funny you mention Katie Couric, I still remember the look on her face when she sat and said nothing when good old Joe Biden stated that in 1929 FDR got on the TV and said folks we need to get together.

Maybe it was because the Couric's were the only other family, other than the Biden's to own a TV.

The only reason some politicians are not slammed for their remarks is because Amerikkka's right wing press is under the control of Wall Street, the corporations and evil billionaires like the Koch Brothers. Ever wonder why it's only Democrats who get slammed while Repuglicans get away scot-free? Think about it.

When the JourNoList say cover it up, the press covers it up. Remember when Obama called for a brown shirt civilian security team in the US that would be funded equal to the Army? The press buried that one. Or when touring the 57 states Obama stated he was going to transform America? Dig dig dig, bury bury bury. This is what we get from JourNoListers like Politico's Mike Allen and Ben Smith.

The bottom line is, leftists get a pass. Their lies, gaffes, "misstatements" are quickly forgiven and forgotten by the dishonest leftwing wolfpack MSM. Nobody repeats Hillary Clinton's outrageous lie about "running through sniper fire" at a balkan airport. But not one damn day goes by without some homo leftist TV jerk repeating Sarah Palin "I can see Russia" misquote.

Which she never actually said.

Reid can talk about "no negro dialect", it is never heard again. Trent Lott lauds an old friend from mississippi, and he is gone.

They must have taken personal days when Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution was adopted, barring Congress from addressing the slave trade for 20 years. Unsettling as it may have been to Benjamin Franklin, John Jay and others, the compromise to accept slavery was the price of union.

Sorry, Jeff, but you're completely off the mark with this one.

CONGRESS was not permitted to address the slave trade, but that didn't keep MEMBERS of Congress -- and other founding fathers -- from working to end it.

Just like Bachmann said.

Perhaps, before you condemn the comments of others, you might actually do a little RESEARCH on the subject:

This is a letter written by Benjamin Franklin in 1790 -- less than THREE YEARS after that 20-year period began -- in which he states "That from a regard for the happiness of Mankind an Association was formed several years since in this State by a number of her Citizens of various religious denominations for promoting the Abolition of Slavery & for the relief of those unlawfully held in bondage."

Catch that line, "several years since". . ?

Franklin and others founded that society in 1775, and he stayed active with it until his death.

Admittedly, it's hard when you're writing an opinon column to take the time for such exhausting and difficult research (finding this took me 30 WHOLE SECONDS on Google!), but next time, you might want to light off your brain before launch, before you make a greater fool of yourself than you already have.

It must be humbling to realize that even MICHELLE BACHMANN is smarter than you are.

Republicans are expected to make gaffes and distort reality, so they nominally get a pass: "Oh, that's just what wingnuts say; they learned to do that from Fox News." No matter how many falsehoods and distortions Fox Newsers spout and are exposed by Politifact and The Daily Show, they simply roll on. People have low expectations for their veracity. Defenders always reach for the handful of Bidenisms as if there is an equivalency. Just check out Bachmann's list on Politifact, something like 30-1 over Biden and 100-1 over Obama.

J Golden Rockwell This is a letter written by Benjamin Franklin in 1790 -- less than THREE YEARS after that 20-year period began -- in which he states "That from a regard for the happiness of Mankind an Association was formed several years since in this State by a number of her Citizens of various religious denominations for promoting the Abolition of Slavery & for the relief of those unlawfully held in bondage." This letter in no way is indicative of the " Founding Fathers " working tireless to end slavery" no it was that Ben Franklin ( one of the founding Fathers not all or a majority) and "Citizens of various religious denominations" were opposed to slavery As hard as you may try Bachman was wrong about the Founding Fathers working tirelessly to end slavery as well as saying John Q. Adams a ten year old boy was a " Founding Father who worked tirelessly etc etc.. You can not change the facts, nor can you change wrong into right.

it depends a lot on who is offended by the remark and how/if the remark can be spun to be used as propaganda.

if you can afford to run ads reminding everyone of the spin, even if the original remarks were TRUE, you can defeat an honest person with innuendo.

Palin never said she could see Russia from her house.

But she did say that she would back the NATO forces in a land war vs Russia over both the Georgia Republic's tussle with South Ossetia, and the Ukraine. After Medvedev commented on Palin's Ukrainian position, she was forever branded as a fool who would risk American lives on a losing war.

There is a difference between LBJ's willingness to go to war over a ship being attacked, (if it really even was) and Palin stating she would go to war, just because the by-laws of NATO would call for it. LBJ wanted to be known as a war time president, like Bush invented false pretext to war vs Iraq over non-existent WMDs. In Palin's case she was literally correct, but practically stupid. She wanted to be seen as the momma bear who would fight the Russians. A commander in chief in waiting.

Being right is not enough. Your comments have to make sense. No one in their right mind will allow the USA to be drawn into a land war vs Russia. Therefore, the USA should oppose membership in NATO for the Ukraine and the Georgian Republic. Palin's attempt to rally the rednecks simultaneously scared off the INDs.

There are gaffes (like Bachmann's mistake of N.H for Mass) and slips of the tongue. The right wing propaganda is that Obama said there were 57 campaign states. Does any one think Obama really thinks there are 57 states? That one has no value.

If you were against Obama you can make much of the 57 state slip. Its worth nothing to convince neutral people how to vote. Palin's being willing to take the USA to war over internicene 1000 year old nonsense in South Ossetia is food for thought for all thinking Americans.